The attorney for the woman accused of using her job as a state liquor enforcement officer to extort money said yesterday the case against her client was not as it appeared.
"The government's version just scratches the surface of what was going on," said Mara Meehan of the Federal Community Defender Office. She did not elaborate, but said, "We'll be fighting the charges."
Meehan represents Gina Marie Kepler, 34, of Warrington, a nine-year employee of the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, whose duties included inspecting businesses serving alcohol, conducting investigations into illegal alcohol sales, and issuing citations and ordering closures for state liquor-law violations.
A 15-page indictment filed Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office alleges that Kepler used her position of power to intimidate seven bar owners into giving her cash payments that exceeded $11,000 from October 2006 through October 2008.
According to the indictment, Kepler used various ploys to obtain the money.
At the Chill Bar & Grill in Holland, Bucks County, Kepler allegedly collected $1,100 for Philadelphia Eagles tickets but never produced them. She allegedly accepted a $2,000 loan from the owners of Kenny's Spirited Eatery in Southampton, Bucks County, because "she had a personal problem," and never repaid it. She lied to the owners of Johnny Apples Restaurant & Bar in Holland, demanding $1,100 to cover checks that she said the business had bounced, the indictment said.
Kepler's 164 colleagues at the Liquor Control Enforcement Bureau were also victims, Maj. John Lutz said.
"She's compromised the trust we've worked so hard to earn in the business community," said Lutz, who has headed the bureau since 2006. "The entire bureau will have to prove themselves every day because of what's occurred here."
Lutz said Kepler earned about $45,000 a year and was assigned to a district that comprised Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, Schuylkill, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties.
Kepler was suspended after the allegations surfaced and later resigned, Lutz said.
Kepler's sister, Hope Minio Tucci, said Tuesday night that people should not assume they know all the facts.
"The truth will come out, but until then, someone should take a look into the history and past of the people and/or business making these accusations because when someone has a lot to lose, you will be amazed at how fast someone will find the easiest target to bring down if it saved [themselves]," she wrote in an e-mail.
Tucci said the family would have no further comment.
Meehan said Kepler would turn herself in but declined to give a date.
If convicted on all seven counts of Hobbs Act extortion, Kepler would face a maximum sentence of 140 years' imprisonment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
MOST POPULAR PHILLY.COM PHOTOS
Philly.com news blogs
Philly.com Promotions
